The Sipaliwini Savanna is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

and nature reserve in

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

. The reserve is located to the south of the

Sipaliwini River Sipaliwini River is a river of Suriname, the main source of the Courantyne River. It gives its name to the village of Sipaliwini Savanna and to the Sipaliwini District Sipaliwini is the largest Districts of Suriname, district of Suriname, locat ...

in the far south of the country. The reserve measures 100,000 hectares, and has been a protected area since 1972. The majority of the reserve consists of a

savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

which in turn is a continuation of the

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

ian

Tumucumaque Mountains National Park The Tumucumaque Mountains National Park (; ) is situated in the Amazon Rainforest in the Brazilian states of Amapá and Pará. It is bordered to the north by French Guiana and Suriname. History Tumucumaque was declared a national park on Augu ...

. The reserve is in pristine condition with almost no human habitation.

History

The area was first explored in October 1935 by A.J.H. van Lynden who was surprised to discover an immense savannah behind the dense rain forests. In 1962, a study was started whether the savannah could be used for

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, animal fiber, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, management, production, nutrition, selective breeding, and the raising ...

, however the transport costs via

airplane An airplane (American English), or aeroplane (Commonwealth English), informally plane, is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, Propeller (aircraft), propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a vari ...

would make the enterprise unprofitable. A detailed study into the plant and animal life commenced in 1968. This reserve is one of the last frontiers in the tropics, and relatively little is known about the region.

Overview

The savannah consists of large grasslands with wetter islands of trees. Bird life is abundant, and the savannah is where the

blue poison dart frog The blue poison dart frog or blue poison arrow frog (''Dendrobates tinctorius'' "azureus") is a poison dart frog found in the "forest islands" surrounded by the Sipaliwini Savanna in southern Suriname. Its indigenous Tiriyó language, Tiriyo na ...

was discovered in 1969. In 2005, six birds that had never been recorded in Suriname were seen on the reserve. It includes a new species of

sun parakeet The sun conure (''Aratinga solstitialis''), also known as the sun parakeet, is a medium-sized, vibrantly colored parrot native to northeastern South America. The adult male and female are similar in appearance, with black beaks, predominantly gol ...

, and a new rufous-sided scrub tyrant. The savannah is home to the

harpy eagle The harpy eagle (''Harpia harpyja'') is a large Neotropical realm, neotropical species of eagle. It is also called the American harpy eagle to distinguish it from the Papuan eagle, which is sometimes known as the New Guinea Harpy Eagle, New Guin ...

and the

jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

Accessibility

The Sipaliwini Savanna is very hard to reach. The

Sipaliwini Airstrip Sipaliwini Airstrip is an airstrip located near the village of Sipaliwini Savanna, in the most southern part of Suriname in the Sipaliwini District. It was constructed as part of Operation Grasshopper Operation Grasshopper was a project to loo ...

is accessible by small planes. From the airstrip, it takes another 2 to 3 hour to reach the reserve along trails, or a canoe journey along the Sipaliwini River. Permission to enter the territory has to be obtained from the ''

granman Granman (Ndyuka language: ''gaanman'') is the title of the paramount chief of a Maroon (people), Maroon nation in Suriname and French Guiana. The Ndyuka people, Ndyuka, Saramaka, Matawai people, Matawai, Aluku, Paramaccan people, Paramaka and Kwin ...

'' (tribal leader) who resides at

Kwamalasamutu Kwamalasamutu, also Kwamalasamoetoe, is a Tiriyó Amerindian village in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname, and home to the granman (paramount chief) of the northern Trios. Kwamalasamutu is the biggest village of the Tiriyó tribe and is located ...

Threats

The reserve is not guarded. Poaching, and collecting of endangered species are a problem. Burning of the savannah by the Amerindians is also a problem.

References

Bibliography

External links

Website about the plants at Sipaliwini Savanna
* {{Nature reserves of Suriname Nature reserves in Suriname Protected areas of Suriname Sipaliwini District Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Guianan savanna